Green Options

The Top Five Secrets of Indian Beauty

Slumdog Millionaire is a great movie. Uplifting and heartwarming, without being cheesy. But let’s be honest for about 45 seconds, shall we? Freida Pinto is a total babe. I’m a straight woman and I’m halfway in love with her. Want to know her beauty secrets, other than unfair genes? Here are five, for starters.

1.  Aromatherapy

Most of us know the benefits of aromatherapy, but it’s useful to know the individual benefits of the plants, herbs and fruits used in this wonderful form of alternative medicine. Basil, for example, helps with digestion, while cinnamon acts as a stimulant and lemongrass helps reduce cellulite. Florapathics has an extensive selection of aromatherapy products with prices as refreshing as their ingredients.

Diwali, India’s Festival Of Light, is the most important holiday for the global Indian community. As much as it is a time to participate in family traditions, it is also a huge commercial opportunity for businesses, retailers and vendors that cater to the needs of the growing Indian community.

Let’s talk about energy. Been there, done that you say. We all know to turn lights off when we leave the room, to unplug all cords when not in use (tv, cell phone charges, computer, etc…) and to replace every light bulb in the house with a CFL. Hopefully, we’ve all taken these tips to heart.

Our family is a single income family. This is harder to do in todays economy than it used to be. With increasing costs of feeding and clothing our clan (of which there are SEVEN) and the higher gas prices, we really have to watch our spending. There are areas I can save in (groceries, household supplies, utility costs) and areas that are fixed (mortgage, student loan payments, medical insurance). A favorite way for our family to think about being greener and saving money is to have family discussions. I love to watch and listen as the kiddos brainstorm on things we can do to help our environment (these are some smart kids) and to hear their ideas on good stewardship (of our Earth and finances). Here are some fun and easy ways to save energy (which is way good for Mother Earth and will result in a lower power bill for you).

This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of ProformaGreen, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy. John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.

All you North American eco hotels, yoga studios, cafes, craft shops and spas, rejoice. There is finally a US company making soy candles in the US from US materials that can do large scale runs.

Decarte Products pronounced “Da Kart” specializes in creating a premium fragrance 100% soy candle, and they were at the Promotional Products Association International event in Fort Worth showing off their new line.

The best thing about this company - aside from the US manufacturing - is that they specialize in candles only, unlike most other manufactures that carry candles, if at all, as an after thought.

Why soy?

As summer is nearing its end and I am enjoying a garden harvest of sweet corn, cucumbers, tomatoes and sugar peas, I’ve been thinking about the bees that help make it all possible. Bees are wonderful, fascinating little beings. Not only do they produce sweat honey, but also a wax.

The wax is what forms the honey combs that the bees make to hold the honey. It is harvested when the honey is harvested and once they are stripped of the honey they can be melted and rendered to use for many purposes. Some use it as a furniture polish or a lubricant for sticky windows or drawers.

The most obvious use is for candles. You can get beeswax in two different forms in which to make candles from. One is a block and the other is sheets.

Clark’s Honey Farm is committed to help SAVE THE PLANET.

With all the news’s going around about the disappearing of the bees, (about 70% on the East Coast) I became very intrigued to learn more about this honey farm’s passion to help save the planet.

At the current time they have over 2,000 healthy bee colonies. Their goal is to double the colonies in the next few years. Each colony has over 60,000 + bees.

They claim to provide enriching environments for their bees to thrive. “The bees are instrumental in the survival of the planet”.

They also ship their bees across the country to help farmers in need of pollination.

Bees pollinate up to one third of our food plants, and in recent months, bee colonies have been mysteriously collapsing. Up to 70% of bees on the East coast have disappeared, and about 50% in other parts of the country. One recent news account from New Hampshire says this: “The problem, called colony collapse disorder, already has hit beekeepers in 24 states, part of Canada, and several European countries. Many bees seem to disappear, with few to no bodies of dead bees found near the hives. The remaining bees, meanwhile, show mysterious symptoms. ”

Since my wedding is coming up in two weeks, I’ve been doing some exploring into all the trendy “green wedding” options. It’s amazing how awareness has grown in the past few years! Unfortunately, having a completely green wedding can often double the already expensive costs. But if every couple made even two or three decisions based solely on environmental concerns, the planet would be as happy the newlyweds.

When planning your own wedding, consider integrating even one or two of these ideas:

Skip the disposable cameras, and ask friends to bring digital cameras. Before the wedding, set up an account on sites such as Photobucket.com or Snapfish.com, and email the login and password to your friends. After the wedding, everyone can upload the photos they took to the account, and you’ll have an instant album of candids that everyone can enjoy. And if you want to have prints, you’ll be able to print only those pictures you really want.

Besides wearing a pre-owned gown (remember, a good tailor can make an poofy 80’s gown into a stylin’ 21st century dazzler), think about using heirloom jewelry for the engagement ring and wedding bands. If you must have new, matching bands, be sure to ask the jeweler about reclaimed, recycled, ecologically responsible gold.

Found these LED tea lights, and they’re awesome, and it’s a good deal!

A little candle light can go a long way in creating a nice atmosphere for any occasion, but many candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum-based product. Brighten up your party with beeswax or vegetable oil based candles instead.